BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been granted the rare honor of addressing the Thai parliament at the start of an official visit to Thailand focused on boosting economic ties between the two countries.

Li’s three-day visit to Thailand that began Friday is his first trip to the Southeast Asian nation since taking up the premiership in March.

He’s the first foreign leader to give a speech in Thailand’s parliament in at least a decade.

Li was also scheduled to meet with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and sign several memorandums of understanding covering infrastructure cooperation, investment and other areas.

Thailand is a key ally of China in the Southeast Asian region, while China is Thailand’s second-biggest trade partner.